


Fight

by Narrissic



Series: Ereri [7]
Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Arguing, Curse of Ymir, M/M, Marriage Proposal, Misunderstandings, Near Death Experiences, and some other stuff, eren is 18
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-03
Updated: 2020-10-03
Packaged: 2021-03-08 02:41:47
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,333
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26798269
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Narrissic/pseuds/Narrissic
Summary: Levi learns of Eren’s inevitable death and decides to take matters into his own hands.
Relationships: Levi & Eren Yeager, Levi/Eren Yeager
Series: Ereri [7]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1923106
Comments: 3
Kudos: 76





	Fight

I passed by the mess hall during a late night, and was stopped by conversation nearby. 

Before I passed the doorway, I stopped to listen, having heard Eren's voice. Plus the blond one, Armin. 

"-You die in eight years, Eren. You'll have to pass on your titan!"

What? 

My confusion, then realization was clear on my face as I listened.

I listened to them talk for some time, then turned on my heel, and I left. 

That evening, I sat in my quarters, staring at the thick pile of paperwork on my desk. My mind was racing so much that nothing coherent got through. 

Eren, dead in eight years? 

The thought was appalling, no, impossible. But the way Armin was talking didn't sound like some sick joke. 

"You'll have to pass on your titan," I recalled Armin saying. What the hell was that supposed to mean? Have some fucker eat Eren?

Right now would be around the time Eren and I turned in for the night; he might still be talking to Armin and that was why he was late. 

Why did Eren lie to me? 

Hell, I knew we were both eventually going to die, but this wasn't something like dying in the heat of battle. This was too soon and too inevitable.

Another person in my life just wrenched away from me. 

I placed one shaking hand on top of the other, hoping to stop it. 

Another person I'd allowed myself to get close to, only for them to completely disappear without my damn say about it, or because I was too weak to stop it. 

Humanity's Strongest.. what shit.

None of this would have happened if I hadn't allowed him to get close, I thought, and stood. 

The door opened and shut just then, allowing Eren to make his entrance. 

"Eren, I want you to leave," I said slowly, stoic. 

"..What? But I just got here. Do you just wanna be alone?"

Eren stood nearby, and I stood, edging him towards the door. 

"What's wrong?"

Why was he still here?

Of course, shitty brat never listened to me 

Why did I put myself through this was the real question.

"I said. Get. Out."

"W-What did I do?" Eren begged, and as I tried to shut it, he pivoted his foot in-between. "Levi!"

Promptly, I kicked his foot, and the door was abruptly closed in his face.

It was nothing you did, I wanted to say, but the door was already shut. 

Days passed. The nights were sleepless without Eren, I could admit that. The bags under my eyes were growing, and some nights it felt like I couldn't breathe.

"Fuck," I cursed to myself, and glanced back down at my paperwork. I wasn't focused on this at all. 

Some time later after completing a good chunk of it, I decided to read some and have some tea. Reading wasn't particularly a favorite hobby of mine, but it passed the time. 

I didn't want to leave my room in fear of running into Eren, which was stupid. Like some teen drama bullshit. 

I figured I had pushed him out enough to not have him coming back to me, but I was wrong. 

Upon the doorknob jiggling followed by a knock, I knew who it was. No one thought they could enter my quarters without permission besides Eren. 

"Go away, Eren," I called from my chair. 

When the door started shaking from the force behind it, I cursed, and stood. 

Would the brat really be willing to break down my door in order to talk to me? Or yell would be the more accurate term. 

I opened the door a crack. "Go away-" I began to say, but my words dried up at the expression on Eren's face. His eyes were bloodshot and he looked like shit. 

Still beautiful though, part of my mind supplied, and I squashed down the thought. 

"Eren-"

Eren pushed on the door with all his might seemingly, and I barely relented. 

"Let me in!"

I cursed inwardly; there was really no way out of this, was there, I realized, and finally relented. I backed off from the door, and Eren made his entrance, shutting the door behind him. 

"Why don't you just leave me alone," I stated. My arms were crossed. 

"No! You're gonna talk to me! Why're you so pissed!? What did I do? Could you at least tell me that before you.." Tears welled up in Eren's eyes and he wiped them away. 

I hated seeing him cry, but that didn't translate to my expression. Just a gut-wrenching feeling.

"..Before you break up with me? Can't you do it to my face!?"

He shoved me back then, knocking the air out of me. 

I didn't defend myself. 

"You're shaking," Eren sniffed. "So-"

"So are you," I rebutted, quiet as a mouse. 

I didn't know what to do here. What was done seemed done. I wanted to kick him out again, but how would we work together in battle after that? Some horse-shit drama in the Corps would do no good for anyone. 

Bigger problems were afoot though- leaving Eren heartbroken. Without an explanation. It's almost like death. 

Fine, I thought.

"So that's it? 'So are you'? Is that all you-"

"Shut up before someone hears you!" I snapped, and grabbed him by his collar. "This isn't all about you, Eren. Do you really think I'm doing this because I'm cruel?"

"M-Maybe." Eren sniffled. "Maybe you're showing your true colors."

That hurt.

"Tsk." 

I let him go, and retreated further into the bedroom, sitting. 

"I'm sorry," Eren piped up. "I'm just mad. Please just tell me why and I'll go. I won't bother you again. Nothing will change, I promise. Please, Levi-" Eren approached, and dropped to his knees in front of me. "Please."

I rubbed my face, heartbreak welling up in my chest and in my eyes. He looked up at me so earnestly. I could say anything and he'd probably take it, but I didn't know how valuable the truth would be in this situation.

Eren would be leaving me alone either way, which is what I thought I wanted.. to break this bond, to shut it off and not let anyone near me again, but.

Couldn't we make the most of the next eight years? Part of me wondered. I could even die before that, the thought occurred. 

Nothing was certain.

I shook; "You're going to die, Eren."

"What..?" Eren looked utterly perplexed. "No I'm not!"

I shook my head: stupid brat. "I overheard you and Armin the other day. You have eight years. You're going to die, and there's not a damn thing I can do about it. It's not the same as a fight; at least then I can protect you, but this.." 

I vaguely motioned in front of me. 

"Levi.." 

Eren pressed his head to my knee, and at some point while I was talking his hand had snaked in mine. 

"I.. I was talking to him about how I'd tell you.. I'm sorry. But Hange said after the war is over maybe we could use Marleyan technology and do something about it. I know it's a curse, but she's determined.." 

He looked up at me. "..And I am too. And I want you to be too. I know it's scary.. I don't wanna die."

He laughed weakly with tears in his eyes. "But it'll be okay, right? We can make it." He shook our hands. "And if not, we can make eight years last. We can, we can-"

I sighed, but tripped over a sob, and then I was crying, and he was crying. 

"It'll be okay, Levi." Eren clung to my leg. "So please don't go. Please." 

Gazing down at the floor, at Eren clinging to me, shaking and crying, and the hope in his voice..

I wanted to hold onto hope. Maybe Shitty Glasses could find a cure, I thought vainly. 

Or maybe Eren would die in eight years. 

If I did this, I'd lose Eren either way. As a comrade, an equal, and as a lover. 

But is it worth it? Is that old saying.. 'it's better to have loved and lost than to have never loved at all'. 

"Please just believe in me, Levi," Eren begged from below, and I paused. 

'Believe in us!'

I recalled Isabel and Farlan saying the same thing, all those years ago. Eren reminded me of Isabel in a lot of ways, which irked me at first, but.

They had died for what they said, no, for me believing in them. There was no guarantee this wouldn't end the same way. 

Was this any different?

Yes, I decided, watching Eren cry against my leg. It is better.. that way at least I can live with our memories than to have cast it all aside here.

There is no right decision.. just the one you regret the least. 

"I hate seeing you cry," I finally said, and cupped Eren's cheeks. 

He mimicked the movement and placed his hands over mine. "Then stay."

I responded by hoisting him up into my lap; the height difference was fucked up, but Eren craned his neck to kiss me anyway. 

After that, life continued; not without close calls but continued nonetheless.

Following the war, things seemed to settle down for once; the titans had been eradicated, so there was no more need for the Survey Corps. 

As I packed my things from my office, which wasn't much mind you, I sensed Eren come up behind me and wrap his arms around my waist. 

"You okay?" He asked from behind, and placed his head on my shoulder. His hair was much longer now, and granted I was missing an eye and a few fingers but I still thought his hair was atrocious. 

"Fine," I muttered, and at Eren's disbelieving glance, I elaborated. "Just going through the motions, I guess. Didn't think I'd make it, mostly."

I glanced down at my fingers, or lack thereof. 

"I know.. me neither," Eren sighed, and took the hand I was looking at. "But we did, you know? Granted, a lot of luck was probably involved, but.."

"..and a lot of death," I finished. 

So much death. 

"Eren, what's a soldier without a war?"

"I don't know.." Eren turned me and I leaned against the desk. "I've never really thought about it."

"A broken man," I answered, grim. "What are we supposed to do next? Settle down like an old married couple?"

"I don't see why not," Eren shrugged. "Maybe you can take up a hobby. Or just relax. Cope. Or find another job. I don't know."

"I don't think I know how to do anything else," I told him honestly. "Never considered it." 

"Well we can." Eren smiled. "Settle down I mean. If you want to." 

"Of course I want to, shitty brat. Just seems like a dream, that's all," I muttered, the last part mostly to myself. 

"You know you can't read in dreams? Like you can't make words out. Or at least that's what Hange told me." 

"Really.."

"Yeah, weird, isn't it?"

And so we settled down.

Neither of us wanted to adopt until we were sure, mainly because Eren didn't want to leave a grief-stricken child behind, and I was hesitant to raise a child on my own. 

Still, we had our own place anyway, by the beach. It was only fitting and I'd be lying if I said I didn't find the place enchanting somewhat. 

It was nice. 

With two years left on the clock, Eren and I received a letter one day, from Hange. Requesting our presence in Sina immediately. 

We went of course, not completely sure what to expect. 

They wouldn't have called us down for nothing seeing how the Recon Corps had been disbanded. If it was so important it required our presence, it must have something to do with a cure. 

That's what I told Eren on the way, while riding in a carriage.

"But what if it's not?" Eren ran a hand through his hair. "I don't wanna get my hopes up for nothing."

"Getting my hopes up is the main reason you convinced me, so keep an open mind," I reminded him, to Eren's blush. "We still have time, but the sooner we have one, the better."

"You're right," Eren sighed, and leaned his head on my shoulder. "Thank you."

"For?"

"Reminding me. Sometimes I think i'm getting bitter in my old age," he teased, and I pinched him. "Ow!"

"You're one to talk."

I was 43.

And I had been right, too. 

Through the jargon I was able to make out, it was a series of injections Eren would have to take for the rest of his life. Completely untested. The potential side effects were the equivalent of going up against a titan with little blades and gas. 

It was a complete unknown variable.

"But it should work!" Hange had exclaimed. "The preliminary tests-"

And so yes. 

It should work. 

At first, things were fine, the days following the first injection I helped give him.

Then, some days Eren got violently ill from it, and I took care of him every single one of those days. Occasionally he was even bedridden for a day or two, but he always took the injections. 

We were lucky to have started them two years in advance, however. It may be the variable that saves his life.

The day was fast approaching, and my anxiety grew each passing month. 

I wanted to give Eren the best memories in this time, but he had insisted we wouldn't need to. That it was going to work out, to just believe in it. 

Visitors came from time to time anyway, notably Armin and Mikasa, to check on how he was doing. Some days were better than others.

In light of making memories, I had still managed to convince him to go out to eat and watch the stars with me tonight. We only had a few days left. 

Eren sighed. 

We had set out a blanket, and we were holding hands, just looking up at them all. Shiny, bright beacons in the heavens. 

"I had a theory about stars," he said, which made me quirk my brow. This should be interesting. 

"And?"

"That.." he pointed upwards. "Every single one of them is the soul of a soldier. The brighter, the braver. Take for instance that one."

He pointed in the general direction of a particularly far away star. 

"Maybe they were from the military police."

I snorted. "And that one?"

I pointed at the brightest one in the sky that I could see. 

"The best and the bravest: definitely someone from the Survey Corps. Maybe Erwin. or Mike. Or Eld or Petra or Oluo or-"

"Eren." 

I grabbed his arm. 

"Did it-" He had tears in his eyes. "Do you think they look down on us now?"

I sighed, and rested on my side with my arm underneath me to look at him. 

"There's no way of knowing," I said. "But it's possible." 

"Levi?"

He reached out to me and I let myself be pulled in. 

"Yes?"

"Do you think we should get married?"

"I-" I considered the question. "I've never thought about it," I told him honestly. 

He looked rejected. "Oh.."

"I mean I'm not sure if you'll live that long," I said gravely. "It's not that I don't want to."

I reached for his hand and linked them together. 

"That sounds like a yes, so.. will you marry me if I live through the next couple days?"

My stomach sank, not because he asked, but because it was still an if. If he lived. After all our effort, it might just turn out to be for nothing. 

Not for nothing, though, I thought as I gazed at him. If Eren died I would carry our memories with me for the rest of my life. 

"Yes," I said. "I will."

"That gives me more incentive to fight at least," Eren smiled.

Fighting wouldn't have anything to do with it, I thought. He would either die or live.

Finally the day had come, and I didn't sleep a wink that night. 

Eren had tried to stay up, but a new injection meant he would sleep like a rock, and so he did. 

As for me, I watched over Eren while he slept in our bed, hand over his heart for the better part of the night. 

Part of me hoped he'd go in his sleep- it's more peaceful that way- but the bigger part said fight. 

Even if it was worthless.

Fight, Eren, I thought, as he slept peacefully. And keep fighting. 

At some point I passed out- I don't know when or how it happened- but I woke at some point in the early morning as the sun creeping through the blinds hit my face from the chair in the corner of the room. 

I startled from a sleep that felt like a blink, and raced over to the bed. 

Expecting the worst and not trusting my eyes, I pressed my ear against Eren's chest.

There was nothing.. 

..Following a stern bump.. buh bump that told me he was still alive. 

"Eren."

I kissed his temple, laughing. He never wanted to miss me laughing. 

"Eren, wake up."

Eren groaned then, and I swear it was better than sex.

"Five more minutes.."

"Absolutely fucking not," I shot back, still laughing, and his eyes shot open. 

"Levi..? I love your laugh, but why are you laughing?"

"Because you're alive." 

Hazy, post-sleep mind wearing away, Eren shot up in bed and looked over himself, as if fearing he was dreaming.

"I told you-" Eren pounced on me and pinned me down to the bed. "-to believe and I was right, wasn't I? Levi!"

"Yes, I suppose you were," I chuckled, and sighed. "Do you still want to get married?"

"Yes."

Eren met me with a kiss.

We got married. The venue, the food, the whole wedding was perfect. 

We adopted later that year, too. A girl. Her name was Lucia and she was perfect. 

It was perhaps a little dumb, but Eren argued all the time that she had my nose. He insisted in fact that she was a gift, both because of that and her black hair and soft blue-green eyes.

At times I wondered if it was just a dream, sitting with him and our daughter on our porch while the sun set, and I recalled you couldn't read in dreams, so quite often I'd take a book out with me. 

I read a lot these days. 

"You're always reading," Eren complained. "Pay attention to me." 

He pouted at me, and I sighed, closing the book and reaching my free arm over to hold his hand. 

"You never get any less needy, do you?" I teased, and the expression on his face could raise the dead. 

"I am not!" He exclaimed, then chuckled. "I just wanna hold onto you. Never thought things could turn out so good for us here."

I agreed with him. 

Lucia stirred in my other arm. 

"You almost missed the sunset," I teased her gently, and the four-year-old rubbed her eyes. Eren and I gazed upon the sunset, and Lucia joined us. 

"But where does the sun go, when it sets?" she asked. 

"The other side of the world," Eren answered, then grinned. "We should go on a trip sometime, the three of us. See more of the world. I wonder what else is out there." 

"Probably a lot," I guessed. "Probably canyons. And more mountains. Maybe the ocean is deeper than we thought, too."

"Definitely," Eren gaped. "I wanna see the deepest part of the ocean."

"Deepest part! Deepest part!" Lucia exclaimed while clapping, and I found myself chuckling. 

I hadn't admitted it, but I was glad of the way things had turned out too. Nothing could be better than this.

**Author's Note:**

> thank u for reading   
> ( ^ω^ )


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